The Girl

Chapter Thirty Eight

  We did slip away, until Clint came running into the deadheads trying to find me. He showed up completely out of breath.

"Beth... I need you... Drew..." He says between deep breaths. I look over at Newt who pouts sarcastically until I smile and push myself up on my toes to kiss his nose before going off to the medtent with Clint. I'm out of shape, having not been in the maze for a while. I can feel my legs become sore as I run alongside him. They burn.

"Sorry I had to bother you, Beth," Clint starts.

"Everything okay?" I ask him as we jog to the tent together.

"I think so. He wasn't showing any signs of anything. Just randomly asked me to get you," Clint informs me. I frown. That's strange. Why would he need me if he didn't seem to have anything wrong with him?

"That's kind of weird. Did he sound okay?" I ask.

"Completely normal," Clint tells me.

"Hm. Strange. I guess we'll find out," I point out.

"I guess we will," Clint replies. As we arrive at the tent, Clint holds it open for me to enter.

"Thank you," I graciously thank him.

"You're welcome," He responds.

"Hi Drew! How are you?" I ask the boy as I spot him lying on the cot.

"Much better, actually," He tells me.

"Really? That's excellent! But, why'd you call me back?" I congratulate but ask, confused.

"I tried to go get food, but I couldn't get up and you told me to get you..." He trails off embarrassed.

"It's alright, I'll go get you something. Don't worry," I smile warmly at him. I see a small smile escape his lips.

I sprint to the kitchen, not wanting to waste any of my time today. I practically fall through the door.

"Damn, girl. You okay?" Frypan asks as he watches me stumble. I try to regain my balance and steady myself, gripping the counter and trying to catch my breath. I smile up at him, brushing my hair away from my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks. But I need food. For a friend..." I trail off, peeking behind the counter discreetly to see if I could find anything. Apparently I wasn't so discreet.

"Where's the fire? I'll get you something," The cook laughs at my impatience. I blush slightly. He hands me a plate with an apple and a sandwich on it.

"Thank you," I say graciously and accept the plate. I don't wait around for a response, just bolt out the door and back to Drew.

"Here you go," I say and hold the plate down to him. He gladly accepts.

"Thanks, Beth. You got here quick," He says. I laugh a bit.

"So are you alright now? Is it okay if I go-"

"Yeah, go ahead. I know you've got someone waiting," He teases. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks quickly, and turn around to conceal it. But it's not easy. I'm looking forward to going back into the deadheads. With all the action lately, it's been nice being able to have a few minutes with Newt. We keep each other sane in this asylum. Of course. Minho and Clint help, but it's not the same. They don't really understand me in the same way. Not the way Newt does.

"See you later Drew," I shout as I exit the tent. I run out and see Newt about three fourths of the way to the deadheads waiting for me. I smile to myself. There's nothing better than a lovely person in a terrible situation.

"Beth! Beth!" I hear someone practically scream my name. I assume it's some kind of medical issue, and I'm immediately alarmed because of the familiarity of the voice.

It's Minho.

Panic swells inside my chest and I look around for him, until I see him emerging from the maze walls, panting from what seemed to be running extraordinarily quickly. He waves his arms to get my attention and runs even more quickly over to me, but I meet him halfway.

"Minho, are you okay? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I quickly scan his body to see if there are any notable injuries, but I don't see any. Once he catches his breath, he explains.

"Beth... we found something. Something new."